He Is An Obstacle Turned A Treasure
by Aigerim Lehane
Summary: Once upon a time, everyone wished they had been in love with Damon Salvatore. Damon and TVD girls. Delena is a main pairing.
1. Tessa

The first time you see him, you're taken aback by the striking handsomeness of his face, just as many girls before you.

You're focused on hating yet another one of Amara's doppelgangers, bitter about the fact that her and Silas' shadow self found each other a millionth time in a small southern town. And then he's there, his eyes brilliant icy blue and his posture rebelious, the older brother - and previous shadow selves didn't have any siblings before. And you look on from the other side, watching as he forces himself between two starcrossed lovers, and you can't believe your dead eyes as Katherine Pierce truly falls for someone who isn't your ex-fiance's doppelganger.

He's an obstacle, you tell yourself, and you're proven right as one hundred and fifty years later he is rejected by both Petrovas. You practically hear his heart shatter in pieces, and for the first time in nearly two thousand years you feel something other than hate and vegneance. You feel for him, sympathy in your chest as you watch him drown. You two would bond if you had a chance - both of you nothing more but a slight hitch on the road to true love.

And yet you can't shake off the feeling that this bad brother, the reckless one, is something special.

The opportunity to bond presents itself as the Bennet witch turns out to be stupid enough to play with the natural order of things, and as she falls to the ground, you break free, giving her lifeless form one last look filled with a distant emotion.

She is your direct descendant, after all.

But there is nothing left to bond over as Damon got the girl against every star that told him otherwise. And as you finally stand before him in the flesh, you are furious. How dare he get one thing you desired the most. How dare he get the doppelganger to fall so deeply in love with him. How dare he prove fate wrong, and how dare he point out one thing you feared the most by simply existing.

Because the thing is, maybe, just maybe there is no fate, and you just wasn't good enough for Silas those 2000 years ago.

But you push back those thoughts to the back of your mind, and you hurt him with your words, opening his eyes at what he really is. An obstacle. A bump in the road. A barrier that soon will be overcome by Elena's fated love for his younger brother.

And you can see that you got to him, that he believes every single word you say, because his demons inside his head have been telling him that from the day one. And yet, he does not falter in rejecting your offer, because the only thing that matters to him is keeping the girl he loves happy and safe. Whether he gets to be with her through her happiness is not that much of a deal to him anyway.

Later, Stefan betrays you, and you can see the love for him seep back to Elena's heart. And you don't know what to feel, because you want to be gleeful at watching Damon's face crumble, but the tightness in your chest doesn't allow you to enjoy it.

You wonder sometimes what would have happened if Damon was the one you fell for all those years ago. You wonder, sometimes, as you watch him be the hero he claims not to be, what it would have been like to be loved by Damon Salvatore.

Passionate. Fierce. Gentle. Real.

He pours everything he is into one single feeling, and that's why he's hurt so much by so many, you muse.

You listen to Elena complain about you ordering him to kill Silas, and you're surprised at the level of disdain you hear when she mentions that he always chose her. You would give anything for someone to choose you once in your life.

You have a feeling Damon thinks the exact same thing before you realise that he _has_ been picked, and the familiar rage returns to your veins.

And then, Amara shows up, cured and - surprise surprise - turning out to be quite the betrayer. Your heart soars in your chest as you finally get your revenge in the best way possible by having the only thing Silas desired the most run away from him, stabbing him in the back. The irony of it all is not lost on you.

Later, the children come up with a rather brilliant plan of getting you and Silas out of their lives for good, and you can't find it in you to be mad as you think, smirking, that Damon was the only one capabale of thinking everything through. As you finally stand on the other side, once again, watching them celebrate getting their little witch back and beating the bad guys, you are surprised to realize that you are not mad at Damon anymore. You don't mind him getting what he wants, because if you couldn't get the original doppelganger, it doesn't mean he shouldn't get the last one.

For now, it's quiet, calm before storm, and you're back at one thing you grew particularly fond of - watching Damon amaze you with him beating the odds again and again.

You're at the boarding house, invisible to Salvatore brothers and three doppelgangers, and you can't believe what you're seeing, but at the same time, it's a nice change of scenery after all the girls chasing Stefan. You find it rather amusing that there are three women who were destined to be with one of the men on the room, and yet, all of them have their eyes only for the other one.

You have to admit, it's surreal to see three girls wearing the face you hate (hated?) be in Salvatores' living room. And judging by the way Damon looks, he's also a bit overwhelmed by the situation. And considering the tension between him and the women surrounding him, you can't blame him.

You watch as Katherine glances at him every so often, and you notice regret pass in her eyes each time she does. You think back to the time when Damon was young and carefree, and you're suddenly hit with the realization that with him, Katherine allowed herself to be carefree, too. Out of all the men including her supposed soulmate Stefan, he was the only one that truly accepted her for what she really was, for who she really was.

And as Katherine sits on the couch now, hiding behind a carefully constructed facade of flirting and sarcasm, you see her shattering inside as she looks at the older Salvatore and all she sees is summer, 1864, her long dress and his innocent gaze, him chasing her. It's funny that now that he's got her, he doesn't need her anymore.

You watch as Amara openly stares at him, curiousity and shyness all over her face. You roll her eyes, completely unsurprised, since the girl really had a nasty habit of stealing other people's boyfriends. As Damon gets fed up with the staring and cracks one of his crude remarks, she blushes heavily, sinking into the couch and mumbling something about him having the most unbelievable eyes. Damon clearly doesn't know how to react,but Elena does, glaring at Amara and silently warning her that the original doppelganger should keep her eyes to herself.

And finally, the last known shadow self. You watch as Elena glances at Stefan, giving him a friendly smile, before placing her hand on Damon's arm gently, silently reminding him of the choice she's finally made. Chasing away his demons and insecurities, leaving only calmness and peace as he finally realises that she's not going anywhere. She's there as long as he'll have her, and knowing Damon, you place your bet on eternity.

Maybe, there is more to life than fate. Maybe, sometimes destiny could go fuck itself.


	2. Caroline

_That was a pain to write. I don't know why, but I really struggled with Caroline. I absolutely love her character, but sometimes she is hard for me to understand. If she seems OOC to you and if there are some plot-holes from her storyline, please forgive me._

_Also, it turned out to be a bit Klaroline._

_Reviews are love, so show me how much you love (hate) me in them :)_

* * *

You don't understand what's wrong with the world.

You are supposed to be the girl of Mystic Falls. It's your hair that bounces the sunshine off of perfect blonde curls, it's your eyes that twinkle with green speckles and laughter, and it's your pearly white smile that lights up the room with a practiced ease.

And yet, it's Elena Gilbert, the quiet one with her dull dark eyes and dark hair and dark tan that has the boys fall to her feet. You fume in the Grill quietly, not showing the outside world just what exactly is going on inside your head, because God forbid people think you are anything but perfect. Except you clearly aren't, and maybe the ultimate 'Californian girl' look and attitude isn't enough.

Just as you are about to question for the millionth time that maybe it's not the world but you, he glances up at you, paralyzing you with his icy gaze, and you're frozen for a second because is it really possible for a man to look so sinfully beautiful?

But you're Caroline Forbes, and you don't back down, returning his flirty smirks with many of your own.

As he takes you home and drops you off at a cheerleading practice, you can't help but feel smug. Elena can have the Salvatore boy all she wants, because you are getting the real _man._

Except the real man uses and abuses you, leaving you in pieces and pointing out the one thing everyone already knew. You're shallow. You're worthless. You're good for nothing, and you know it, of course you know it.

You forget all about his narcissist ass when Matt chooses you, and you're so happy that the pair of penetrating blue eyes is the furthest thing in your mind.

But as you are killed – oh God, you're actually _dead _now, and you have to kill other people to survive – you are hit with all the memories, and you've never felt so much hate toward a person.

And if you're honest with yourself, you feel _so _hurt, because the only thing he wanted all along was _fucking Elena Gilbert_, and you're back to the square one. When he hugs you, tender as never before, a corpse of someone you just killed lying next to you, you realize that he's about to kill you, and somewhere deep in your soul you want him to do it, because he'll stop the pain and guilt. And while he wouldn't have been the one you'd choose to do the job, you can't help but think how good he fits. After all, he was the one to start the changing process of Caroline Forbes, and in a way, you were glad you met him, because it lead you to question yourself.

But you're saved, by none other than Elena herself, and you're hit with guilt yet again at being such a terrible friend to her. She willingly stood between you and a stake, not knowing for sure if Damon wouldn't kill her, too. And when he doesn't, you are in disbelief, because you thought of him as nothing more than a ruthless monster.

Later, he allows your mother to live, and as she states that you are dead to her, you are taken aback by the strong emotion in his voice as he defends you, his gaze meeting yours, and then, as you look in his surprisingly soft eyes, you understand that he actually _gets_ it.

You have Elena and he has Stefan, and they are both here to remind you that you will always be second best. And you never would have thought in a million years that you will ever think of Damon Salvatore as insecure, but that's what he is. Insecure. Vulnerable. Hurt by the ones he loves the most, and you have a startling thought that maybe you two have more in common that you originally thought.

He never fails to save Elena's life, and he never fails to always choose her. And as you let your tears fall late at night, thinking back to how Matt rejected you because of what you are, you can't help but think bitterly that one certain blue-eyed Salvatore never turned his back on Katherine, ultimately choosing her. And now, he will never turn his back on Elena, even if she cuts him open and bleeds him dry every time she goes back to his brother.

Maybe, just maybe, you feel just a hint sorry for him as you watch him shatter, and there is the slightest possibility that you drove Elena to admit having feelings for him so he would stand at least a small chance. And, well, he did kinda save you from being sacrificed, so you owe him just a bit.

And then, Klaus bursts in your life, ripping apart everything you knew and tearing you to pieces, rebuilding you again, and you cringe as you realize that Elena's not the only one having naughty thoughts about bad brothers. As Klaus gazes at you, openly, actually allowing you to see the hint of real him, you stare in his blue eyes, and you allow yourself a moment of weakness as you get lost in them for just a second.

You are closer to Elena than ever because now _you _finally get it. The alluring bad boy charisma and the surprising vulnerability underneath the cold façade, and every time he opens up, you can't help but feel like you're the most special person in the world because he's allowed _you _inside. Both of them the farthest from being a safe choice, men, not boys, strong and ruthless and so alone.

He tried to kill Bonnie. Damon tried to kill Bonnie. He killed Jenna. Damon killed Grams. He never once stopped to get what he wanted. Damon never did, too. And while you realize how silly it is to compare them, it's still uncanny how their life stories are similar. And, well, you are just a teenage girl who loves a bit of drama in her life.

But you shut down and make yourself hate him, and every time you see a flicker of hurt in the baby blue eyes as you use him over and over, you tell yourself you don't care.

You stick with the safe choice. With the right one. You pick Tyler over and over again, telling yourself that he's the one you need and want, and while it's not an epic love story of Stefan and Elena, you can settle for that. And as you root for Team Stefan, urging Elena to never give up on her 'epic' love, you fully realize that you are projecting your feelings and fear on your best friend.

Damon is bad for Elena, and she can't choose him, because if Elena can allow herself to forgive him and be with him, you will be forced to finally acknowledge the whole Klaus situation, and you are simply not ready for that. So you sit, and you talk, and you trash Damon for how much of a horrible person he is, completely aware that in reality, you are listing off the reasons of why _Klaus _is bad for _you._

And then Elena goes and falls in love with him, and your whole carefully constructed house of lies crumbles around you. You are furious about it, because that's just wrong! Damon and Elena together are tragedy, heartbreak, longing, all-consuming passion and danger, and you sigh to herself as the list you started doesn't exactly appear horrible. In reality, it's kinda everything you ever wanted for yourself.

You can see Elena being surprised at the level of disdain you start demonstrating toward the older Salvatore, and you tell yourself it's always been that way, you just show it more nowadays. But you know the real reason deep down, and if Elena bothered enough to keep her hands off of Damon's sculpted body and think, she'd see it too.

You are resentful toward both of them because Elena was brave enough to make the dangerous choice, and you weren't.

The college starts, and you're excited to finally start the new life free of all the supernatural drama, but of course, it wouldn't be _your _life if there wasn't some mysterious shit going on. And, to top all of that, you are no longer 'Tyler and Caroline' anymore. You are Caroline, and tears slide down your cheeks as you watch yet another man turn away from you to pursue his own goals.

As you go through the motions, teaming up with _Katherine _of all people, you fall into the now familiar line of thoughts which inevitably takes you to the older Salvatore. Well, apparently, he and Klaus are not so alike, because despite the sweet messages on the voicemail and generous gestures, Klaus still _left _you, and now Tyler has done the same, but Damon never once abandoned Elena. And you are one hundred percent sure that he would stick around even if she chose Stefan. He did stick around, actually, forgetting all about his selfish needs and wants and simply _being _there, because the girl he loved needed him.

You wonder what it feels like to be always put first, because in the last few years of your life, you always came up second in line. As you watch Damon never leave Elena's side, protecting her with everything he is, you can't help but wonder what it would be like to have his crystal clear eyes gaze at you like that.

The news about the doppelgangers being cursed to always end up with each other don't leave you as happy as you'd think. You watch Damon gaze at Elena with so much pain, and you think that it's just unfair. It's_ unfair_ that after everything he's done, Damon's still not going to end up with his true love, because the fate decided to be a complete bitch.

For the first time in your life, you decide that you don't believe in destiny anymore, because the unfairness of it all makes you sick.

But as Amara, the original doppelganger, the one who was '_fated_' to be the one for Silas, denies him and runs away, joining the dysfunctional Mystic Falls' family, you breathe with relief, and as you catch the curious-turned-longing looks she throws Damon's way, you can't help but smirk as you flip off the ceiling.

The fate is not all it's cracked up to be, after all.


End file.
